Nk Fire Trucks On Hold For Now

Firestorm Raised Over Chief's Report

NEW KENT — About 30 volunteer firefighters convinced New Kent County's supervisors Monday to wait another month to see if the county has enough money to buy them the three fire trucks they want.

Public Safety Director J. Lawrence Gallaher met with Fire Chief Harold Seitz and urged the supervisors in November to buy three pumper-tanker trucks built on a commercial chassis for $145,000 each.

But the firefighters objected Monday under a faction of firefighters led by W.C. Pearson, who briefly unseated Seitz as chief in 1993. Monday, Pearson and the firefighters asked for custom-built trucks costing about $185,000 each.

Pearson, chief of Company 2, passed out his own thick report and said Gallaher's recommendation "falls far short" of what the department needs and asked that the trucks have air conditioning, power generators and bigger gas tanks.

The firefighters even brought a custom-built truck to the parking lot for the supervisors to examine.

But several of the supervisors protested the confusion the firefighters cast the truck purchase into.

Supervisor E. David Ringley said, "When it comes to this board, it should all be ironed out. It's a heck of a predicament to put us in."

Supervisor Robert Boroughs said, "I don't want to get off-beat. I would like the chain of command to stay as it is. A few months ago we got in to a spitting contest of who's in charge, and I don't want to go through that again."

Boroughs made a motion to act on Gallaher's recommendation and buy the three commercial-based trucks to replace the tanker trucks at the three volunteer fire stations. One of the tankers broke down on its way to and from a house fire last month.

"A lot of people in this county can't afford to pay much more taxes than they are paying. And we can't wait to buy these trucks. The trucks we have are breaking down every day."

But Supervisor Michael Salmon made a motion to table the purchase a month, and that was approved 4-1.

The county is getting a new pumper fire engine from Henrico County as part of the regional jail contract, but that does not meet the need of all three fire stations for water-carrying trucks, Gallaher said.

Gallaher said his pricetag could include many of the items Pearson asked for Monday.

New Kent already gives the volunteer fire department $75,000 a year for operating costs and is paying off the debt on another fire truck.

Tankers could cost as little as $140,000, but if they are custom-built to include pumping capabilities the price would increase to about $215,000, Gallaher said.